Thomas clabke



T. CLARKE.

PORTABLEFIRE ESCAPE.

No. 291,689. Pate'ntedJan. 8,1884.

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THOMAS CLARKE, or TRURO, NOVA SGOTIA, CANADA.

PORTABLE FIRE-ESCAPE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 291,689, dated January 8, 1884.

Application filed April 16, 1893.

To all whom it may concern;

Be it known that I, THOMAS CLARKE, of Truro, in the county of (lolcheste'r and Province of Nova Scotia, Canada, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Portable Fire-Escapes; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, which will enable others skilled in the art to which itappertains to make and use the same, reference be ing had to the accompanying drawin'gs,which form a part of this specification, and in which- Figure 1 is a front elevation of myimproved fireescape and its adjuncts. Fig. 2 is ahorizontal section through line :0 w in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a similar view. through line y y in Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a side elevation of the apparatus. Fig. 5 is a detail View of the cage detached from the traveling car or tram, and Fig. 6 is a sectional detail view through line z e in Fig; 1. i

Similar letters of reference indicate corre sponding parts in all the figures.

My invention has relation to that class of portable fire-escapes which may either-be kept in readiness for use in a theater, hotel, or other building requiring additional means of exit in case of f1. e, or which may be kept at suitable stations, (by preference in the stations of the hook-and-ladder companies or en, gine companies of a city,) so as to be readily accessible in case of fire; and my improvement consists in the construction and arrangement of parts of a portable escape of this class, as hereinafter more fullydescribed and claimed.

The essential elements of my improved fireescape consist of a pair of poles, shown at A,) which may be made of wood or metal, solid or tubular, and should be made in sections of suitable length, adapted to be spliced together to make them of sufficient length to reach from the ground'to the roof of the building. It also consists of a car or tram adapted to travel up and down upon these poles, and which, when in use, will keep the poles parallel to each other; and it further consists of a cage which may be attached to the traveling car or tram, and of the means whereby the car and cage may be hoisted up or down. .This cage is preferably constructed with swiveled cor- (No model.)

ners, so as to. fold up flat when removed from the poles and not in use. The top section of each of the poles or supports A is provided with a snatch-block, E, over the sheave e of which is carried the appropriate hoistingrope, a. The snatch-block E has wings or extensions E,which may have rollers to assist in running up the poles against the building, and by means of which the poles many be steadied when the apparatus is in use, so as to prevent it from sidewise motion, said extensions bearing against suitable projections on the side of the building.

To the lower end of the parallel poles A A is affixed a spring'actuated Windlass, G, the construction of which has been fully described in my application for Letters Patent on a certain improvement in permanent fire-escapes of even date herewith. This Windlass is so constructed and arranged that by turning the crank a spring encircling the central shaft within the drum is wound in substantially the same manner as the winding of the mainspring "of a clock within its barrel, so that the windlass, actuated by the tension of its spring,will operate to draw the traveling car, to which the other ends of the hoisting-ropes are attached. from the bottom to the top of the apparatus. At the same tiane the actuating.

spring may be uncoupled or set at rest from the drum of the Windlass, so that, if desired, the windlass may be operated by simplyturning the crank in the same manner as an ordinary hoisting-drum or Windlass. This windlass is supported in bearings Z), which are provided with suitable clamping devices, 0, by means of which it may be affixed removably upon the lower ends of the poles A A.

The traveling car or tram consists of an upper bar, B, and the lower bar, B, (with one or more intermediate bars, if desired,) which is bent at right angles outward, to form a stop or support, B as shown more clearly in Fig. 4c of the drawings. Thebars B B are connected by swiveled arms d d, which are swiveled at opposite ends upon bolts 1', thereby allowing the top and bottom cross-bars of the tram or car (as well as the intermediate bars, if any are used) a limited play or motion, so that they may readily adjust themselves to any inequalities on the poles on which they travel. The cross bars, of the traveling tram or car are bent at their outer ends, as shown more clearly in Figs. 2 and 3 of the drawings, to form ways 6, which are provided with the friction-rollers h, bearing against the poles, and the bottom part, B, has a brace-rod, s, for the purpose of making that part of the tram or car sufficiently strong and rigid to support the removable cage, which is shown at D in Fig. 5. These ways 0 also operate to keep the poles the proper distance apart, and parallel to each other, as the car travels up and down upon them; and by unshipping the car from the poles and detaching the windlass which connects their lower ends the several lengths or sections of which they are composed can readily be taken apart, when the whole apparatus can be conveniently packed on a truck for transportation from one place to another. 7

The cage D is preferably made of metal rods, suitably braced, so as to give the greatest amount of strength commensurate with the least amount of weight. At the upper end the cage has a pair of hooks, f, for hooking it upon the top bar, B, while its lower end is supported upon the projecting stop or ledge B to which it may be fastened by pins H, adapted to be inserted into apertures o in the projecting stop B The cage is provided with a hinged door, J, adapted to open outwardly, as indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 5 of the drawings, so that the contents of the cage may readily be removed therefrom. I further pro vide the traveling tram or car with dogs or hooks attached to chains, the upper ends of which are fastened in collars or bands, which slide upon the top bar, B. By means of these dogs furniture, trunks, or other heavy articles maybe hooked onto the car, and thus removed from a burning builing. If desired, suitable supports may be provided to hold the door open as the car travels up or down, so that the door will of itself form a platform, by which the capacity of the cage is considerably increased.

\Vhere this apparatus is kept at certain stations located in a cityas where it is kept in charge of the hook-and-ladder companies-the ladder-trucks of these companies should be provided with means for carrying my apparatus to the scene of fire; or separate trucks may be constructed for this purpose, the construction of which will, from the nature of my apparatus, readily suggest itself to any skilled mechanic.

Having thus fully described my invention, I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States- 1. In a portable fire-escape, the combination of the extensible poles A, having snatchblocks E at their upper ends, hoisting ropes a, car or tram B B (Z (Z, adapted to travel upon the parallel poles A, and provided with ways 6, and friction-rollers h, a springactuated Windlass fastened removably to the lower end of the poles A A, and connecting the same,

and a cord or chain, T, attached to the lower part of the traveling tram or car, for drawing the same back to the lower end of the apparatus, the whole constructed and arranged substantially as and for the purpose shown and set forth.

2. The traveling tram or car, consisting of two or more horizontal bars, B, and bottom bar, B, having the projecting stop or ledge B said horizontal bars being connected by swiveled arms or bars (1 d, to admit of a limited play or motion of the top and bottom of the car, substantially as and for the purpose shown and set forth.

3. The combination, with the traveling tram or car composed of the parts B B B d d, of the removable folding cage D, having hooks f, bottom pins, H, and hinged door J, substantially as and for the purpose shown and set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereunto EtffiXGd my signature in presence of two witnesses.

THOMAS CLARKE.

IV i tnesses HUGH MACKENZIE, GEo. E. IVIAODONALD. 

